Fusion reactor designed in hell makes its debut

[Ufostrahlen]

What a bizarr complex machine:

[YOUTUBE]

Video from the Science article:

http://news.sciencemag.org/physics/2015/10/feature-bizarre-reactor-might-save-nuclear-fusion?intcmp=NEWS-stellarator-PROMO

Also good video which provides more in-depth details:

[YOUTUBE]

Btw, this a stellerator design, first invented by Lyman Spitzer at Princeton University in 1951. In opposition to the tokamak design, invented in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. The leading investigator who helped build the machine says, that the Chinese are leading the fusion field, so the above machine is only a proof of concept design, nothing near to a final concept. Looking forward to see the final design! :thumb_up:

 

[Psybin]

Wow, thanks for sharing the video and article Ufo - it was super interesting! I remember Lockheed Martin announcing a fusion reactor small enough to fit in the bed of a truck yet would power a city of 100,000 folks this past year, which the video you posted reminded me of. Hopefully it's not just a pipe dream, as I think it would really serve to unleash a wave of new technologies that aren't restricted by limited power or large-scale carbon emissions. :thumb_up:

Compact Fusion

Discover our revolutionary approach to nuclear fusion, leveraging compact design and rapid development cycles to harness powerful energy comparable to the sun.

www.lockheedmartin.com

I think compact fusion could be the path that gets us to sustainable fusion as a power resource, given the shortened time frame and reduced costs when it comes to research, development, and testing prototypes.

 

[anne halonium]

i definitely need one.
about time.

 

[Ufostrahlen]

Glad you like it, Psybin. I was a little bit concerned it might be off-topic, but since the Nexus is also about being conscious of the environment, it wasn't so off-topic at all.

Hope we can soon switch to emission-free energy production to green the deserts and pull carbon out of the atmosphere.

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Interesting things afoot in Greifswald!

I'm holding out for a pocket-sized version

The total investment for the stellarator itself over 1997-2014 amounted to 370 million euros, while the total cost for the IPP site in Greifswald including investment plus operating costs (personnel and material resources) amounted to EUR 1.06 billion for that 18-years period. This exceeded the original budget estimate, mainly because the initial development phase was longer than expected, doubling the personnel costs.

Amazing how they always manage to find money for stuff like this; I clearly need to get back into science.

I like how the stellarator is of a five-fold Möbius pattern, for whatever that is worth.

So this thing is running initially on 1mg of helium, soon to be followed by hydrogen - or is that a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium?

What about the claims that this device is completely and irresolveably deficient in radiation shielding through its construction with the wrong kinds of steel or concrete? (Source)

 

[Ufostrahlen]

So this thing is running initially on 1mg of helium, soon to be followed by hydrogen - or is that a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium?

What about the claims that this device is completely and irresolveably deficient in radiation shielding through its construction with the wrong kinds of steel or concrete? (Source)

ipp.mpg.de sez:

In the first few years Wendelstein 7-X will experiment with a plasma consisting of light hydrogen. The X-radiation thereby produced is completely taken up by the walls of the plasma vessel.



Experiments with plasma consisting of heavy hydrogen (deuterium), which are planned for subsequent years, additionally entail release of neutrons.

----

During construction of Wendelstein 7-X IPP was faced with a series of questions relating to radiation protection and safety of the fusion device. Here the most important questions and IPP’s answers to them.

Safety

www.ipp.mpg.de

 

[SpartanII]

I'm holding out for a pocket-sized version

Something like this perhaps?

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Wearable fusion!


Also I'm wondering how they're planning on getting the energy back out of their fusion reactions in any useful form; I guess I'd better check that link (thanks, ufostrahlen!)

 

[oetzi13]

I wonder which one will be finished first! A little different than this one here:

A Star in a Bottle

An audacious plan to create a new energy source could save the planet from catastrophe. But time is running out.

www.newyorker.com

 

[downwardsfromzero]

It fascinates me how it seems to be necessary to use an extremely cold device to hold a load of extremely hot stuff. Well, maybe it follows.

But how will they ever get one to power itself??